imowi introduces itself with a unique proposal in the Argentine market, characterized by offering mobile services with a close-to-the-customer approach and a simple and flexible offering. CATEL has set out to address the need for ICT cooperatives to incorporate mobile services into their product portfolio, thus forming a 4Play package adaptable to each case.
At the same time, the goal is to bring the benefits of mobile connectivity to numerous communities located throughout the Argentine national territory that currently lack access to this service, essential for their development.
CATEL has all the required licenses to be a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), with its own numbering, SIM cards, and other identifying elements.

Additionally, it has signed an agreement with Telefónica de Argentina for this company to be the Mobile Network Operator whose access network (cell sites) supports the services offered by imowi. It is important to highlight that imowi has
its own core network, thus becoming a full MVNO.
Currently, imowi is working on deploying its own access network in areas not served by any other mobile operator, transforming into a Hybrid Mobile Network Operator.
To support the business and customer relationship, imowi has flexible and personalized systems and processes, designed to allow new cooperatives to join the project regardless of their capabilities; there will always be an operational mode and a business scheme that facilitates their participation. The potential of imowi lies precisely in the reach and presence of cooperatives throughout the country, whose combined strengths make the project viable and healthy.
Having formally started its commercial operations on January 20 th , 2022, today imowi offers its services in 32 locations.
Contact: Hernán La Rosa, Commercial Manager, hernan.larosa@imowi.com.ar

In October 2020, CATEL signed a specific cooperation agreement with the National University of La Plata (UNLP) through which the University began to provide technical and professional advice to the Chamber and its associates. This initiative was oriented towards work on the projects of the Connectivity Program for Popular Neighborhoods and those awarded to ANR (Non-reimbursable loans) the Enacom’s Connectivity Access Program for Public Institutions.
This is how the National University of La Plata inaugurated the Free Chair “Connectivity as an essential service and guarantee of rights”, an academic space to promote the meeting of experiences and knowledge among various protagonists of ICT services, the academic-professional sector and social organizations for Internet access and the deployment of connectivity in Argentina.
It is a training space for technical and professional advice in preparing projects to connect more than 500,000 families to the Internet.
The objective of this Chair is to contribute to the construction of knowledge from the dialogue between protagonists of the ecosystem of information and communication technologies to generate diagnoses on the sector that contribute in perspective to the idea of universal access to the Internet in both essential citizen right.
A significant piece of information provided by ENACOM is that the Registry of Popular Neighborhoods in Argentina contains 4,416 neighborhoods where more than 4 million people live, representing 10% of the country’s total population. Even in mid-2020, 65% of those neighborhoods did not have Internet access.

In the case of the entities CATEL, COLSECOR and FEDECOBA -which group together telecommunications cooperatives in a significant number of the country’s provinces- they express their intention and ability to jointly manage projects that will connect more than 350 popular neighborhoods, of which 154 they belong to the conglomerates of Greater Buenos Aires, Greater Rosario and Greater Córdoba.
In 2021, the first report entitled “Evolution of ICT Cooperatives in Argentina – Territorial distribution and services offered” was presented and shows the strong imprint that telephone, electrical and service cooperatives maintain in providing ICT services in Argentina.
Carried out by graduates Diego Rossi and Milton Oddone -in charge of the direction and coordination of the Chair respectively-, with the technical assistance of Paula Agüero, -Head of Marketing of the Cooperativa Del Viso (TelViso)-, systematizes public data of the National Communications Entity, contextualizing them to contribute to the visibility of the cooperative and community sectors in the provision of telecommunications, pay TV and other ICT services.

See the full report here